I miss....

I miss the feel of the warm glowing sun, persistently shining on my already tanned skin.

I miss the sounds of the lawnmowers running, cutting the freshly grown, brilliantly green grass.

I miss the giggles of kids running through the sprinklers in their colorful swim suits.

I dearly miss Summer.

This 40 degree January days are not helping with the 'spring fever' rising up in me, extremely ready to burst.

Happy Tuesday!

I will admit I'm lacking on the "every day" part of this blog.... But am willing to fill this puppy up with some fresh posts!

Life has been very predictable with school. Teachers are piling up the homework, preparing us for our tests that they always manage to cram into the last week before break. Luckily, (again with the copying of my sissy! ) I am in love with my planner. Thank you Samara for addicting me to colorful pens, post-it notes, and organization.

Speaking of that cute, little dumplin'... SHE GRADUATES THIS SATURDAY. WOOO!

My feelings upon this accomplishment:

excited. encouraged. horrified. applauding. blown away. eager. sad. amazed. grateful. appreciative. thankful.

EXTREMELY proud of YOU Samara! You are loved by many!



As I continue to write  on my beloved Mac, and being that we live next to a busy four-way intersection, I heard 4 firetrucks, 2 ambulances, and 4 police cars zoom by. Panic initially hit me, wondering who's life was about to change forever. I am tremendously appreciative that I have never experienced a horrific event like a car accident.

On a more happy note, Ski Club started Monday! Woo! So much fun. I decided to ski considering I am lacking a snowboard... :) It was exhilarating how much faster I could go and more control I had. The night was beautiful and perfect for skiing. Around 30 degrees and no wind! How thankful we were once we realized how ridiculous it was when we wanted to take off our jackets, and admitted how warm we felt.

We set up the tree at Dad's house and prepared for the Thompson Family Christmas he willingly accepted.  The house is now bright and cheery and full of colors.

Have a wonderful Tuesday to ALL!

Recap of Portland

On November 6th, Neil, my mom and I darted for the airport around 7 am, to start our small adventure in Portland, Oregon for the weekend.



To sum up the trip:

• Arrived at the Portland Airport around 10 am on Saturday, and began exploring the city


• Went to the Portland Zoo and saw adorable polar bears and elephants, but it saddened me a bit, seeing their poor faces just stare at a blank wall.

• Explored the city for some shopping, ate at adorable coffee shops, saw vintage stores and fell in love.

• Sunday we ate at a bagel shop. Ordered some coffee, hot chocolate and bagels and were on our way to the Japanese Garden/Rose Garden.

• Before going to the Gardens, we took a detour on a rode that led us to gorgeous homes that all overlooked Portland. Every one of them  were placed on this magnificent hill.

• The roses in the Rose Garden were not in bloom, but some still managed to look beautiful in the "cold" weather. ('cold' meaning 30 degrees. This would be considered 'warm' during the winter in Minnesota...)  And the Japanese Garden: no words can explain the beauty. (photos don't even do justice) We must have been in Portland at the perfect time, all the colors were spectacular.

She is just beautiful!

• Monday was the best of all. We woke up early and went for breakfast at a place called 'Gravy'. Warning: proportions are ridiculously HUGE. But the hot chocolate is to DIE for. (**melted semi-sweet chocolate chips & milk**)

• We then headed for our adventure towards the waterfalls in Portland. We were running out of time, we had a plane to catch! So we started out running up the steep paths to and from the waterfalls. Man! What a work out. By the time Multnomah Falls came into our reach, we decided it would be best if we didn't run up the 11 switchbacks to the top of the waterfall. Once we reached the top of the falls, we kept on trudging upstream to see more beautiful waterfalls. I might add that my "hiking gear" consisted of my boots from the kids section at target, tights, high socks, and a dress. Surprisingly, I managed to hike in record time!

All in all, the 3 day trip was short but absolutely wonderful. My mom and I are so easily entertained, everything was lovely. I would love to live in Portland someday soon!